Tube and material for use in laser surgery

Claim 1

A flexible, laser-resistant surgical tube for use in connection with laser surgery, said tube being defined by a tubular wall and comprising a polymeric materix generally non-reflective to laser radiation and having relatively poor thermal conductivity, said polymeric matrix having a laser-reflective filler embedded therein to retard laser radiation from buring through the polymeric matrix of the surgical tube, said filler constituting not more than about 35% by weight of said matrix and comprising spaced, finely divided particles uniformly distributed throughout said matrix, the density of said particles in said matrix being sufficient such that the particles overlap when viewed from the direction of the source of laser radiation, said particles including a dielectric core of a geometric shape to defocus, diffuse and disperse laser radiation impinging on the surface thereof, said particles further including a laser-reflective metallic surface coating encasing said core whereby said metallic coated particles retard burning of the matrix of said surgical tube by reflecting laser radiation and, by virtue of the shape of said particles, by defocusing, diffusing and dispersing laser radiation through out the adjacent matrix of the surgical tube and distributing heat therefrom about the periphery of said particles to the matrix adjacent thereto.